Best Bigfoot podcast available. At the end of each episode I’m always wondering what’s Bigfoot’s favorite native plant?

Listened to the episode with Jared Rosenbaum twice in a row because it was so good - very interesting and extremely insightful.

This is my favorite podcast. I look forward to it every week and have gone back and listened to all the episodes. Great guests, down to earth hosts and an all around enjoyable listen every time. As a backyard native gardener I appreciate Tom and Fran making the content digestible for those of us without a formal background. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to better steward the land they own, no matter how small or large!

This is a great podcast for folks wanting to learn more about our native plants and native habitats! Even though it is based out of New Jersey it applies to all habitats and areas in the U.S.

This is the only podcast I listen to that is mostly two dudes getting hype about something and I love it. Great guests, cool topics. My garden has definitely been improved by listening.

Subscribed after listening to an author interview, then unsubscribed after a recent pod where hosts bumbled through a defense of using AI, citing stock market and how it’s actually… combatting climate change? This lukewarm, defeatist take is not what I need from an environmental podcast, these guys obviously don’t know what they’re talking about when it comes to AI or data centers, they’re clearly tech-pilled and it’s sad to see. Just admit you’re wrong on AI and put your energy back into the work and not into defending ai or saying “there’s no point fighting it because it’s in everything already” - tech is not coming to save the planet.

This is one that is a must catch every week for me. I love listening while I’m pulling weeds in my own native garden. Or doing the dishes. Or walking the dogs. It’s just a good listen! Tom and Fran are super relatable and funny, I always enjoy the banter! I learn new things from the pod often, and I love their attitude that there is always something new for them to learn too. The guests are always interesting and inspiring, but my favorite are the Buzz episodes! Thanks to you both, all the way from Texas!

Your podcast is wonderful! I do have a suggestion: please balance the sound volume between. The hosts and the guests. The sound volume of the typical guest is low, and the hosts are very loud. I turn up the volume to hear the guest, then J get blasted when a host talks. Any way to make the levels equal?

I look forward to this podcast every week and feel as if Tom and Fran are my friends, gentle guiding me on my native plant journey, introducing me to authors, ecologists, gardeners, scientists and so many organizations. I love the buzz format and the friendly banter. They make complex issues fun and approachable. Thank you!

Water quality and storm water management are extremely important subjects. Due to the public’s lack of knowledge, politicians demagogue the subject and stop the implementation of important regulations. John Macfarlane

I’ve been listening to this podcast on and off for the last couple of years, and decided to finally give it a review. Fran and Tom do a great job of coving topics related to the emerging world of native plants in landscaping and home gardening. They cover current articles related to native plants, which I find fascinating. They also bring on many lively, colorful guests in the world of natives, picking their brains for knowledge and understanding. If I had one wish for this podcast, it would be more information or perspectives from the west coast. Still, if you live on the west coast, do not let this deter you from listening to Tom and Fran! Their information and conversations are dynamic and rich, and are a bit of a little pep rally for me as I forge ahead planting natives in my own backyard, front yard, and side yard’s habitats!

Great discussions about ecosystems , native plants, and so much more! Very accessible for beginners

If you don’t love Tom and Fran, your soul is frozen and dark.

I love the relaxed, open style of this podcast. As someone having come from an academic background learning about native plants, this style is a breath of revitalizing fresh air. Both Fran and Tom’s comments, as well as those of the experts they bring on, rekindle my love for plants by speaking to their holistic relationship with the plants more than just their scientific knowledge about them. I love the storytelling aspect of the show.

Enjoyable personalities discussing meaningful topics with exceptional guests. Probably my favorite podcast.

Love this podcast. Fran and Tom are down-to-earth and knowledgable hosts passionate about getting more natives growing. I appreciate the deeper dive conversations with guests which acts as a springboard for me to continue learning from others. Always enjoy “What is your favorite native plant and why”. Shout out to Egocentric Plastic Men for the Native Plants theme song. Any way that I could purchase this track?

You can passively learn a lot just listening to these two guys chat with each other about native plants and the way they interact with native insects and birds. Also how native plants can become a more mainstream part of our home and business landscaping. Great guests!!!

I’d been told for years to listen, and after a year of tuning in I’m hooked! As a native plant nursery owner (and Pinelands Nursery customer), I love the updates, insights, and inspiration. Always something new to learn—thank you for this podcast! -Trista

What a great way to learn about so many different aspects of ecology and native plants! Tom and Fran remind me of Rhett and Link.

This is the perfect companion while I’m removing invasives and planting natives! The guests are so knowledgeable across a diversity of topics, and I’ve learned so much. It’s easy to listen to, inspiring, and super helpful. Highly recommend!

I get a kick out of the hosts and their banter. I really appreciate learning about native plants and also about how the plant industry works. There’s a native plant nursery near Washington, DC that’s doing interesting things-native seedling giveaways, teaching how to make biochar, and I think maybe using burning to control weeds/non-native plants. Check out bonaterradc.com. The owner might make an interesting guest.

Love the podcast for its focus on native plants and habitat and can not understand why anyone would take offense of them sharing that public lands are in a bill to be sold off. Do not bow to the minority. You may not consider yourselves as a part of the press, but a free press that can report truth is core to being American and our founders decided it should be the first Amendment (and therefore the most important).

I stumbled over this podcast searching for something to satisfy my want to learn more about Native plants and everything that goes along with that. This podcast is perfect. Tom and Fran are incredible hosts and do a great job of bringing a range of guests on the show. Thank you so much for that you do!

Recently started listening and slowly working my way backwards. I’m in the process of un-lawning my yard, and I appreciate the wealth of insight and resources that I can use to thoughtfully and intentionally kill the grass, improve the soil, and choose the new plants that will replace the existing grass while adding habitat to bring in the birds, butterflies, and bees. The hosts seem like the kind of people who would share my delight when I found that a parasitic wasp had laid eggs on a tomato hornworm or that a pair of killdeer decided to nest in my yard. That’s the kind of energy I want in my ears. Thanks for the great podcast!

As one of my favorite podcasts to listen to whilst outside in the yard I decided to start over, just like I do liberating the wildflowers every spring. Also, would love to see the pod expand to independent socials!! Keep up the great work, fellas!

I’ve been listening to the show on and off for years. I would love to listen all the time, but there is just way too much much time in some episodes when there is nothing about native plants. Please, if you stuck to native plants or topics directly adjacent to native plants, I would listen to every episode from start to finish. 3/14/25 episode with Ken Parker was better than others about staying closer to the topic for more of the show. I much prefer episodes of “a native plant every day” where Tom and Fran do much better about sticking to discussions about native plants.

I’ve been following the show for the past year, and was delighted to hear your interview with Jared Barnes, who is new to me. I am a fairly recent convert to native plants, and am going into my second year of eco restoration at my home and have been so appreciative of the topics explored on the show to this point. I have to tell you, as a high school teacher, I really loved this one. Jared’s talking points about different listening and learning styles brought me right back to the pedagogical theory classes I dreaded in undergrad. We’ve all had the Ben Stein professors, or perhaps even now a supervisor that drones on and on, their words lost in translation as we fell asleep with our eyes open. Jared embraces the humor infused fact-chunking approach that all great educators use in their respective classrooms. It makes me so happy when my own students have that Moment of Clarity, and I wanted to let you all know you’ve given me those moments in my own gardening practice. Thank you, thank you. (Gabby in CT)

I found this podcast recently and love it. I am learning a lot about plants and I appreciate the friendly and encouraging tone. Thanks!

Wish I had found this podcast sooner!

This is a must listen for anyone who likes plants or cares about the environment.

This show gives me hope as well as practical & positive ways forward to keep tending the native plants and how it helps wildlife. It also instills hope for nature despite a changing climate. Each guest is an expert in their field who expands on the various contexts influencing the health of wild flora and fauna. Thank you! Thank you!

Love listening to all your shows driving to and from work while sitting in traffic!

I love this podcast. Tom and Fran are amazing spokespersons for native plants and their benefits. They are so knowledgeable but still humble and open minded. They are so respectful of their amazing guests, all of whom are doing important, even heroic, things. I have learned so much from this podcast about plants and ecology. But more importantly it has given me hope that the fight to restore ecological loss can be won bit by bit. Thank you, Tom and Fran.

Love this podcast - just the right amount of fun and science. I think that’s what we all need these days. Fran and Tom remind me, as a teacher, that being approachable, curious and joyful is the best way to bring folks on board to help create a healthier planet and have a good time along the way!

While there aren’t exactly that many people who have an understanding of the value of native plants. This podcast has two guys who do. Their journey has brought me further perspective and advice on how to spread the joy of plants. Thanks fam

(Update) It’s been in my pod-rotation for about a year now. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in native plants in the US. I appreciate the fun conversational presentation, both in the guest and buzz episodes. Thank you! My favorite native plant to eat is black raspberry/Rubus occidentalis. P.S. Great to hear the Big Red Barn mentioned in a recent episode! I was probably there around the same time.

Love this podcast! I’ve learned so much about native plants and beyond. The guests are interesting and knowledgable, and the topics are as diverse as the plants they promote. I especially love when they talk about the edibility of native plants. My family’s favorite has become a springtime tradition: violet lemonade! I also like violet leaves for salads when I can get them early enough. Oh! And I like to sprinkle redbud flowers on top, along with other foraged things from the yard. Thanks for a really fun and educational podcast!

Just recently in the past year or so got into native plants. I live in low country SC and love finding new plants and researching them. Great educational show and so glad I found it. Hope others do to! I haven’t took the plunge in consuming plants yet. But I’m very interested in passionflower. Doing research now! Just invested in my first herbal medicine book!

If you love plants, pollinators and learning about ecosystems, this is a great show! I started listening because of Crime Pays Botany Doesn’t, and I love that this show covers more plants in my native range (upper Midwest).

I’ve been listening for the past few years and wrote a 5-Star review back then. It’s hard to believe but Tom and Fran have gotten better over the years. If there were a 6-Star review I’d give it now. Birding led me to want to learn about native plants. Tom & Fran have been the best source for that learning. From deer to oaks to soil to pollinators the information here has been fantastic. I think it’s the diversity of topics that makes this a great podcast - the same way diversity makes for a healthy habitat. Well done! Jim Fuehrmeyer

Dear Fran and Tom - I recently discovered this Podcast and am very glad that I did. Some of the banter can be reduced, i.e., my microphone is not working, but the majority of your discussions between yourselves, and then with guests have been educational. Your discussions with Shubber Ali, from Garden for Wildlife, was one of my favorites. I hope Apple tags your Podcast as a top rated one, so that you are easy to find. And in the meantime, I am sharing the link with my friends and family. Regards Chris

It may or may not be a good show. I gave up after the hosts droned on aimlessly about whether their headset was plugged in and then about some drink flavoring additive that is maybe a sponsor (I couldn’t tell, it just was more aimless chitchat). Really disappointed, I hope they put in the effort on a more organized, structured show. Great potential subject.

I enjoy listening to this podcast for many reasons. The hosts are relatable, knowledgeable and their passion for native plants shine through. I only found out about this podcasts a few months ago along with my own native plant journey just starting this summer as well, so I’m listening to old episodes to get caught up and new ones as they come out. Even though I’m in Wisconsin I still find this podcast very informative. I love how this podcasts is able to show how native plants can connect so many people and can benefit our society in so many ways. The podcast always leaves me thinking about a variety of topics. I liked the National Turkey Federation episode as it showed how hunters / conservation are also big players in the native plant world. I could go on and on with this review, but just keep up the great work!! Edit: As I only started my native plant garden last year, I haven’t been able to use anything in the kitchen just yet. But I do love the flavor Anise Hyssop in teas I’ve had, and my hyssop plants have grown huge this year so I definitely plan on making a tea with the leaves. I also have my running serviceberry ripening as we speak so maybe making a jam out of those! But they’re only in their second year so I want the birds to enjoy the berries too!

I work in the landscape industry, currently in the Great Lakes area but have also worked in the southeast. I was so excited to find this podcast. Tom and Fran do a great job of making native plants interesting and relatable. While there are certainly some regional differences and local programs, my favorite episodes highlight resources or programs that are applicable wherever your listening area may be. Update: I am so pleased Tom and Fran are continuing to release the podcast. I love the variety of guests and viewpoints you work into your platform. I am keeping a running list of places, programs and publications to check out based on your episodes. In the meantime, the Black Huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) is one of my favorite native plants to munch on. During my childhood summers, my mom would pick a day in late July/early August and take me and my brother out into the Huron National Forest where we would hunt for huckleberries and learn about the forest. The best berries were always surrounded by an ant hill!

Favorite native to eat? Rubus occidentalis - I’ve never managed to bring any in the house, they disappear into my mouth too quickly. Best Native Plant podcast I’ve found yet. Nice guys too!

I found this podcast a few months ago and have been bingeing it ever since. As a lifelong plant and wildlife enthusiast, I find this podcast so important. It’s informational, educational and fun. Each episode makes me feel like I’m chatting with good friends (even though they never let me get a word in). I want everyone to listen to this podcast, and help make changes to benefit the planet and all life on it. Keep up the great work Tom and Fran!

Wishing I could give this show more than 5 stars I am a weekly listener and find myself more engrossed each episode. I may be in the minority but I enjoy The Buzz episodes just as much as the guest interviews. The show always has some fun or exciting insights and the host present the material so that even the non Latin versed can enjoy. Share it will all your garden buddies! The best part of native plants is that there is a native plant for your garden no matter where you live.

Meat Force of Nature!! Awesome interview, I wish for everyone in America to hear this podcast episode!!

Great episodes so far, starting with the Mt Cuba Center interview and working my way back. I started volunteering with a nonprofit native plants nursery and developing my own garden at the same time and got…. so confused. With close listening, clouds starting to clear, I can see the path from here.

Great episode! The first 200 were so inspiring, I can’t wait to see what you do with the next 200!!